Bowden's name added to airport in Tallahassee

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Bobby Bowden's name is now on the airport near Florida State's campus.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the dedication of Bobby Bowden-Tallahassee International Airport on Tuesday. Bowden coached at Florida State from 1976 through 2009, winning more than 300 games with the Seminoles and two national championships.

The airport is about 6 miles from Florida State's football stadium.

"Coach Bowden was a college football legend, and it is fitting that we honor his legacy in a way that will be seen by all who travel to and from our capital city," DeSantis said.

Bowden, who died in 2021, received the Governor's Medal of Freedom earlier that year. He was the inaugural recipient.

"Daddy spent so many hours in the terminals of the Tallahassee airport over his 46 years in this great city, so it feels appropriate that it now bears his name," said State Attorney Ginger Bowden Madden, one of Bowden's children.

The field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Florida State's home, was named for Bowden in 2004.